Turner’s NCAA March Madness Live will available on 15 platforms this year, including newly added support for Amazon Alexa devices and Xbox.
The addition of Alexa and Xbox joins the list of other compatible devices including desktop, Amazon Fire tablets, Amazon Fire TV, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Android smartphones and tablets, Chromecast, Windows 10 mobile and desktop, Roku players and Roku TV models.
The March Madness Alexa skill will allow fans to ask March Madness questions related to scores and game results, along with direct access to play-by-play for all games provided by Westwood One, according to a news release.
This year, the app will also offer an Apple TV interactive bracket that offers previews, highlights and direct access to live games.
Turner said that this year for the first time, the company’s iStreamPlanet unit will provide the livestreaming infrastructure for all games made available through NCAA March Madness Live.
RELATED: Turner acquires streaming tech company iStreamPlanet for possible direct-to-consumer future
Turner took a majority stake in iStreamPlanet in 2015 after partnering with the company on previous livestreaming efforts.
"We've worked with iStreamPlanet in the past during the PGA Championship and they have also delivered world-class events such as the Super Bowl and Olympics to millions of viewers," said Turner Chairman and CEO John Martin in a statement. "This partnership will expand our capabilities to offer live events within and outside of the traditional ecosystem and, by bringing iStreamPlanet's innovative technology in-house, allow us to cultivate future business opportunities on digital platforms."
In addition to the expanded availability and streaming infrastructure changes, Turner is also revamping the desktop experience with an HTML5 player and real-time shot tracking, and also adding “excitement” alerts for big moments throughout the tournament.
As in past years, the NCAA March Madness Live app requires a pay-TV account to authenticate streaming but will offer a free limited time preview for viewers without pay-TV service.
The NCAA March Madness Live app will be available starting March 11, right before Selection Sunday.